Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-06-16
FORT WORTH.
Brief History Of the Great Railroad
Center in the Great Southwest.
Immense Trade
Chs Destined Greatest City in the South
west and Unrivaled in It's Natur-
~ al Advantages
New York Star.


lation was only 1000; that to-day this
city has g population of 10000 and thir-
teen outlets by rail, you would not be
disposed to believe me.
Visitors, when being shown over this
/ place of marvellous growth, wonder
alike at the past it has experienced and
| the great future in store for It. A drive
over the city, look atits principal build
| ings erected and being erected, careful
study of its resources, a knowledge of
the wonderful advance it has made, even
within the last year, IS sufficient to con-
vince even the most skeptiCal that her
growth is bound 70 continue until she mas
satisfied the wants of the surrounding
country. What has been the history of
| this city? In 1875 it had population of
| 1000, and to-day it has at least $4,000.
! It's marvellous growth is due TO
! the fact that it Is excellently located
| as well as favored by nature. Built
upon plateau open to every pure breeze,
it seems eminently fitted for the home OF
manufacturers and industries. The citi-
zeng are not obliged TO drink impure wa
ter,tss is the case in other cities of Texas,
as The town is well supplied with arte-
| ei9n wells, the fame of whose waters has
fafTeady brought hundreds Of visitors and
! equally as many residents. Since 1876,
when the first artesian well was bored,
until to-day, they have multiplied until
! tue public have an abundance of the pur-
est water that ever bleste people. There
Is no gslnsaying the question that it was
the railroads that tended most to build
up the city, but it will be admitted that
| the .Gtural advantages andseXCellent 10
cGtiCn of the place induced the railroads
20 enter. On July Is, 1876, the first rail
road entered the city. As l write, the
seventh railroad, stretching away to the
southwest, is being finished. When the
first road entered, the total valuation of
property in the city was S250,000. To-day
it is about Sc 900, 900, an increase of 2400
per cent. in little over decade. In 1880
the Missouri Pacific reached the city from
the northern limits of the state and then
started southwark, making Fort Worth
the junction of the two greatest arteries Of
commerce IN the state. This road was
followed IN 1881 by the Gulf, Colorado
and Santa Fe, the Fort Worth and Denver
railways next year. So wonderful was
the growth of the city that, as al index
TO her advancement, it may be stated that
the cost OF internal improvements
! 2El1 III leu ~ StEpiIID III IOOD luG
Fort Worth and New Orleans Railway
was built to WaXahachie stretching
through the southeastern part of Tarrant
county. The present year is an import
att one in the history Of the city, because
Of the fact that it has demonstrated be.
vOnd all doubt what Fort Worth can do,
as well as clearly proving the stability Of
property values and securities of ell
kinds. The long continued drouth had
no material effect whatever on her boom
No sooner was the drOuth over than il
seemed that dollars shOWered on the city.
Capital poured in, beautiful residences
went up, new railroads we're projected,
manufactures came 70 the city, and this,
followed by the assurances OF g splendid
crop the coming season, places the limits
J of Fort WOrth's prosperity only in the
minds Of the most imaginative. The
country for hundreds Of miles around is
connected with the city.
In 1876 the jobbing trade CT this city
reached $500, 900. The wholesale trade
now amounts to $780, 900. One indica-
ton Of city's greatness is the number
Of lis b&nking houses and the capital in
viewed. Fort WoTtl has six banks, as
follows: First National Bank, cash cap
ilal $4,000; Merchants National, cash
capital $500, COO; State National, S346, =
coo, and the Fort Worth National, City
National, Traders National, the wRole
representing total amount Of cash cap
iital and surplus Of 81, sos, 900.
The retail trade of the city is enOr-
nous, the splendid country around and
thIcklv populated county being sufficient
TO keep busy over twice the number of
retail stores at present located. 1t may
: not be out OF question here to ask wnst
has built up al the great American cities.
What is an induCement TO the location of
: manufacturing. Cheap fuel is the pria-
cipal element, and that Fort Worth has
in abundance, as coal exists N endless
quantities within q radius OF 100 miles
OF the ci y Natural gas is believed to
exist, SIS It is always found where coal is
plenty, and q stock company has been
organized TO bore 70. the gas. As l said
before, the pure water here is q boon. II
flows from 100 wells and never runs dry
One thing that speaks volumes for
the future Of Fort Worth is the cotton
market May thousands Of bales are
annually brought 10 the city. Last year
there were 46, 900 bales compressed here.
The Farmers Alliance have established 3
cotton yard here ard g movement Is on
toGt to haYe the State Alliance Cotton
Mills erected here. The city drains the
surrounding country of its cotton, and
increased freight competition will in al
probability increase the annual number
Of bales sold ard as the country is settled
up it will necessarily increase the pro-
ductiou. The country tributary to Fort
Worth is very fertile, is wonderful in its
resources and is the greet cattle country
of the United States.
The great prairie covered with grass IS
giving way to the cultivated farm and
wild animal life to civilized man. Fort
Worth has every natural advantage which
aids in making a great city. But she
wants few more men with capital and
push to make her The queen OF the boom
cities Of the west. She wants the follow
ing immediately, and she is going to have
them:
She wants natural gas, q paper mill,
cheaper lumber, more railroads, packing
houses, more wholesale houses, Gotten
mills, wooden mills, the refrigerator
works operated, q starch factory, more
business houses, the State Alliance cot
ton mill, capitalists 80 investigate the
natural and acOuiTel ADVANTAGES or tie